It is always surprises people when I tell them that when I was growing up, I didn’t even know when Christmas was. I wasn’t totally clueless – I knew it was a December holiday that generated a lot of cool Christmas cartoons (Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and two local favorites, Suzy Snowflake and those three zany elves, Hardrock, Coco and Joe), but my Jewish parents emphasized that Christmas was their holiday. In my 99% Jewish neighborhood, electric menorahs, not... Read more

Carlos will be receiving his green card within weeks!!! Read more

This week, Scot McKnight’s must-read Jesus Creed blog linked to an excellent Books & Culture article about the lifestage now being dubbed “Emerging Adulthood”. This piece offers a more academic spin on what I’m observing in my own kids, in the lives of the emerging adults with whom I interact at work, in the words of blogs and books penned by this demographic, and as I watch and listen to what’s going on in our broader culture. It’s a somewhat... Read more

Blogger! Grrrr! I can’t quite figure out why the formatting of the post below is whack-a-doodle. So sorry! Read more

Here are the faces of some who have been directly and indirectly impacted by the challenges of navigating our country’s immigration system. These faces are my family; people I cherish. Next week, after a 4+ year wait, our son-in-law heads into Mexico to begin what is hopefully the final leg of his journey towards a visa and green card. There are no guarantees with this process, and the wait there may stretch on for months. They don’t want to be... Read more

I’ve been working with home schooled writing students for well over a decade, first in the venue of support/enrichment groups, then in classes held in my living room, and finally via e-mail tutorials. One of my favorite assignments is an essay based on the question: “How would you give away a million dollars?” I have a couple of rules: students can’t give this money to a family member – or their own local church; they need to choose at least... Read more

I’ve been battling some pretty big depression for the last few weeks. I could give you quite a list of contributing factors (feel free to e-mail me at mishvl@yahoo.com if you’re curious or given to prayer; I’m more than happy to talk about it) – but that is not the point of this post. Sometimes, crawling through a spiritual and emotional time where it feels like the air is black tar is what it means to live the parable life.... Read more

It was something to see 400+ local church leaders, staffers and assorted other gapers (like me) gathered today at the annual Catalyst Forum. The keynote dude, one Bishop Kevin Ulmer, preached some of the wallpaper off of the walls at the Trinity International University chapel. What he had to say was familiar (go and make disciples, not programs or members) but he said it creatively and in order to motivate. It is always interesting watching people come out from their... Read more

My recent motto: It is possible to do something humiliating EVERY SINGLE DAY So far today, I’ve managed to keep the red blush from crawling up my neck. It’s only 3:17 p.m. The day is young. Yesterday, it only took me an hour to experience the day’s humiliation. The first human being I spoke to was the tinny voice coming out of the Dunkin’ Donuts speaker, asking to take my order. “A medium coffee, two sugars, and a chocolate covered... Read more

I’ve known a few people who have enjoyed relatively problem-free lives. By “few” I mean I can count these people on one-and-a-half hands. Max. One woman I used to know who proudly and regularly proclaimed she lived by God’s principles (exegeted by Dr. Dobson in the childrearing department, Elizabeth Elliott in the wifely submission department, Larry Burkett for finances, Emilie Barnes for teacups and doilies) had a life that seemed to bear witness to the discipline of living within the... Read more